Pendants
by WritingBookworm
Summary: Ten years after she washes ashore on Destiny Islands, Princess Kairi recruits the help of Pendant Bearers Sora and Riku, people gifted with a Pendant that grants them power over a designated element, to help restore her world and go on an epic adventure.


_Summery: One day, a girl mysteriously washes on the shores of Destiny Islands, soon to be found by Sora and Riku. There they discover that, coincidentally, they all have matching pendants. It's just a coincidence, right?_

_Not ten years later, it isn't. In a flurry of events, Kairi is revealed to be the Princess of Radiant Garden, a world taken over by Xehanort and his Black Coats. And the only way she sees out of this is to recruit the help of the Pendant Bearers- people gifted with a Pendant that will give them power over a designated element. Combining all four Pendants will supposedly give birth to a fifth Pendant- one that can reverse time and set events straight. _

_From then on, Sora, Riku, Kairi and the Resistance all go on a quest to bring together all four Pendant Bearers- and experience an epic adventure that will change them all._

_Pairings: SoKai, Namiku, RoXion, Clerith, Sqauffie, VinTifa_

**A/N: Well, what do you know? I'm actually starting to write a story that DOESN'T have Xion has the main character! I'm actually writing one where it focuses on Sora and Kairi- Rocks and Keyblades focuses on Riku a little bit. (And of course, I'm pretty sure Xion will play a major role in this. ;))**

**Anyways, also, sorry if Sora, Kairi and Riku are OOC a little bit- I've only played Days (I don't have a PS2), so I don't have them... you know, really memorized deep down, that kind of thing. However, I do know all the storyline despite this setback.**

**So, a few notes about this- a lot of the events I suppose are inspired off of the KH Games, like the Kairi washing on shore and stuff- all combined and twisted to make this into an AU FanFic. Oh- and I felt as if there was potential in Kairi in the KH Games, so I'm gonna make her have backbone in this, muhahaha.**

**Disclaimer, I don't own Kingdom Hearts. I freaking wish I did- because then the female roles would have been changed a LOT- Xion wouldn't have died, Namine would have a Keyblade (she's Kairi's Nobody, Kairi can use a Keyblade, it would make sense that she should have one!), and Kairi would be a playable character and go on her own path. **

**I suppose I've really rambled this time, huh? So I'll quit it, enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Pendants<p>

Prologue

This would be it. The day Sora would finally outrun Riku.

He was getting tired, and his breath started to come short, but Sora just pumped his legs harder, determined for victory.

Sora stole a glance behind him- shoot! How could Riku maintain such a pace so effortlessly? Sometimes it was like he was made out of steel!

The image spurred Sora on further, who quickly resolved to go the distance and beat him- he didn't' care if he used up every ounce of his energy in the process.

Sand slid and shifted beneath his anxious feet. Sora closed his eyes, a muscles unraveling enough to relax but enough to keep going. They relaxed at the pacifying sound of the waves snoring lazily on the horizon.

Now that his ears were attuned, he could also hear footsteps- but only one pair.

Gradually Sora slowed his running until he came to a stop. He turned around nad his shoulders sagged in disappointment when he saw Riku's form hunching over.

Slowly Sora thought about why Riku would be bending over, and suddenly his heartbeat accelerated. Was- was Riku tired out? _Riku was tired?_

The four-year-old grinned. "Come on… Riku!" Sora challenged. "Whas… wha's the… matter? Tired?"

Riku turned his attention to his friend. "Sora, come quickly!" he shouted, suddenly standing up straight. "Look at this!"

"N-No!" pouted Sora, panting. "Today is… is the day… that I'm… supposed… to beat you!"

"Trust me, this is more important!" Riku yelled. "A girl washed ashore!"

Sora was suddenly as alert as if a cat had spotted a mouse. "A-a girl?" he asked, disbelieving, as if he didn't see them every day.

"Yes, a girl! Now get over here, will ya?"

Sora hurriedly nodded, gathered some breath, then sprinted over, running so fast he was kicking up sand. Once he was about to trample over the girl, he quickly skidded to a stop and joined Riku in observing her.

He placed his palms on his rather knobby knees and peered down to get a closer look.

She was a girl, and their age, too. A dark, fire red was a deep contrast to Riku's long, silver hair and Sora's outlandish light brown that stuck out quite sharply from side to side. She had a pale face, probably from being in the water. It was heart-shaped, cheeks a bit chubby and a jutting chin to make up for it. She wore a thin white nightdress, as if she had been sleeping than had suddenly drifted ashore.

The most peculiar of all was her pendant. It would have been simple- a rather grimy leather cord, cruelly tied at the back of her neck, as if she had been in a hurry. The cord seemed ordinary, but the charm didn't.

Dark wood was cut out into a neat, shining oval charm, the heigh being around four inches and the width two inches. In the center was a series of circular, very minuscule sapphires, put in an unmistakable pattern- the pattern of a wave.

Both Sora's and Riku's hands lunched for their chest, startled. That pendant…

Sora and Riku had ones just like hers.

They were mostly the same. All three were hung with thin leather, and the charms were exactly the same size and materials. The differences were the engraved jewels.

Sora's had small, white crystals arranged in a small spiral.

Riku's displayed tiny emeralds set into a square, nothing more.

It seemed like a coincidence. Sora's sister had bluntly given his pendant to him as a birthday present back when she was little and had been unable to comprehend that he was a boy and didn't like that stuff. Riku received his when his grandfather died- he had specifically asked for him to have it in his will.

"We have similar necklaces," Sora noticed reverently.

Riku shrugged nonchalantly. "Just a coincidence- I don't even know why I keep mine around- they're girly. Anyway- com'on, let's wake her up."

Following his own words, Riku got down to one knee and shook the girl softly. "Hey."

The girl stirred, but didn't wake up.

Riku sighed and shook her harder. "Wake. Up."

Still no reply.

Sora huffed impatiently. "Here, I have an idea." He crossed over to the ocean, bent down, cupped his hands and placed them in the water.

The smooth, fragile surface flowed delicately into his palms, giving Sora a sense of peace. So he half-regretted it when he lifted his hands out of the ocean, some saltwater seeping out of his fingers. Almost half of it had been drained by the time Sora dumped it onto the girl's face.

The girl's eyelids immediately jumped open, revealing amazing azure eyes. She rolled over instinctively, her hand groping at her side for something until she realized it wasn't there.

"Woah!" Sora cried, surprised by how the girl reacted. He laughed half-uneasily. "Dude, take it easy!"

The girl's muscles relaxed and the strange look in her eyes died, but she still looked on alert.

Riku smiled, glad she was finally awake. "Hi there," he greeted. "I don't think I've seen you around her, so I'm Riku, and this is Sora."

Sora grinned broadly at the mention of his name. "Yup!" Then he naively added, "We're alike- the three of us have matching necklaces! We can be a club!"

What frantic movements that had remained dissolved from the girl when Sora mentioned the necklaces.

Her muscles now relaxed completely, and her blue eyes softened. She straightened herself so she stood up.

"Y… you do?" she asked cautiously. The girl's voice sparked with something- something Sora could only identify as hope.

Sora and Riku exchanged looks, looked back to the girl, and nodded simultaneously.

The girl smiled wearily, brushing sand off her nightgown and quickly yanked fingers through her hair, scraping sand and some water out of it.

"Well. It's Sora and Riku, right?" she pointed to the boys respectively. They both nodded again.

She beamed. "I'm Kairi," she said, offering a small hand.

Riku and Sora took turns shaking Kairi's hand. "Pleased to meet you, Kairi! Welcome to Destiny Islands!"


End file.
